News

Floyd Valley Trustees Approve Tractor Purchase

(LeMars) -- The Floyd Valley Hospital Board of Trustees approved the purchase of a utility tractor during its Tuesday meeting. Hospital administrator, Mike Donlan says a tractor was needed since the old tractor was removed from service more than a year ago. Donlan says the hospital was renting a tractor, as well as contracting the services of snow removal and lawn care. He says the cost just got to be too prohibitive.

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The tractor will be purchased from ICON Ag and Turf of LeMars for the price of $24,175. The Trustees took some time to begin discussing for their stategic plan. Donlan explains what is usually discussed during strategic planning sessions.

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Donlan says in the coming months expansion plans may be presented to the general public.

(Sheldon) -- Den Hartog Industries was awarded the 2011 Business Partner of the Year at the Village Northwest Unlimited 36th Annual Meeting. The award was presented by Village CEO, Barry Whitsell and Stacie Jorgensen, Director of Advancement to Den Hartog Industries representative Matt Van Essendelft and Jerry Bowlsby. The relationship between Village Northwest Unlimited and Den Hartog Industries began in 2001 with an agreement to have people served at the Village assemble medicine droppers at Northwest Enterprises, a division of Village Northwest Unlimited. The first shipment of medicine droppers was delivered to Den Hartog Industries in January of 2002. Through October of 2011 more than 1.4 million medicine droppers have been shipped to Den Hartog Industries from the Village. Since 2001, additional work contracts consisting of several items have been added and the partnership has continued to be strong and mutually beneficial to all of the parties.

(Des Moines) -- The Iowa Economic Development Authority has announced that six counties will share more than $4.4 million to assist homeowners affected by high winds and tornadoes that blew across Iowa this spring. IEDA is using federal Community Development Block Grant funds through the Tornado and Wind Damage Assistance Program to assist uninsured and under-insured, low to moderate income homeowners' in Ida, Cherokee, and Monona counties. Monona County, which had approximately 100 homes damaged from a April 9th tornado, will receive $3 million to assist residents to rebuild their homes. Cherokee and Ida Counties will both receive $200,000 to assist homeowners who experienced damage to their homes caused by the high winds.

(LeMars) -- The LeMars Community School District Board of Education is scheduled to meet Monday evening. The Board will hear a report from School Superintendant Dr. Todd Wendt regarding the construction progress of the Phase II project. The Board will also appoint its members that will serve on the bargaining team for the 2012-2013 contract negotiations.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) - Authorities say Iowa sales and use tax delinquencies have risen 17.1 percent in a year. An Iowa Department of Revenue report says the delinquencies hit $84.2 million after adjustments were made through October. A year ago, the number was $71.9 million. The number of delinquent accounts rose 8.8 percent, to more than 21,000 from more than 19,300. Union leader Danny Homan says state employee cutbacks are to blame for the combination of growing delinquencies and falling collections. Gov. Terry Branstad's spokesman, Tim Albrecht, says the Revenue Department has increased staffing in collections and compliance. Albrecht says the increase in delinquencies reflects the fragile economy and "further illustrates that our businesses are struggling within our tax and regulatory environment."

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the state's first dove hunting season in nearly a century attracted about 22,000 hunters. The 70-day season began Sept. 1 and ended Wednesday. Dove hunting had been outlawed in Iowa since 1918 but was legalized by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Terry Branstad this year. Efforts to allow the hunting of doves has been emotional in past years, and in 2001 then Gov. Tom Vilsack vetoed a measure approved by the Legislature because he said most Iowans opposed the change. The DNR says it will conduct a survey of the more than 22,000 people who registered as hunters to determine how many actually took part in the hunt and how many doves they killed.

Accident Injures Three People

(Kingsley) -- An accident that occured at the intersection of C-60 and Quest Avenue left three people injured yesterday. The accident happened at about 3:00 p.m. Stephen Embry, 23, of LeMars was driving a pickup truck, and failed to stop at a stop sign. His vehicle was struck on the passenger side by a car driven by 77 year old Rodney Nelson of Quimby. Also injured was 22 year old, Daniel Rolling of Hinton, who was a passenger with Embry. The collision left the pickup truck on its top and the Nelson vehicle listed as a total loss. Airbags had deployed in both vehicles. All three victims were transported to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City by the Pierson Ambulance and the Kingsley ambulance. Kingsley and Pierson Fire and Rescue, along with the Plymouth County Sheriff's office and the Iowa Highway Patrol responded to the accident.

(LeMars) -- Minnesota Congresswoman and Republican Presidential Candidate Michele Bachmann has announced plans to visit northwest Iowa, including a stop in LeMars. Bachmann is scheduled to make an appearance at the Family Table Restaurant on Monday, November 14th. at 2:00 p.m. Bachmann will conduct a LeMars Town Hall meeting at the restaurant. Following her visit at LeMars, Bachmann will then make a stop at the Pizza Ranch restaurant in Sheldon at 5:30 p.m. Her other northwest Iowa appearances include a stop at Storm Lake and Webster City on Wednesday, November 16th.

(LeMars) -- Plymouth County Extension Services was recently honored at the Iowa State University Extension Annual Conference. Brad Harvey of Akron was named as a Friend of Extension. Harvey has served on the Plymouth County Extension Council for a decade and has served as chair for five years. Harvey leads the extension council as they address local priorities and staffing needs and is an advocate for ISU Extension education programs. Harvey was credited for his prominent role in establishing a relationship with the City of LeMars, which ultimately led to the Plymouth County Extension Office moving to a state of the art office space and meeting facility at the LeMars Convention Center. Also honored at the ceremonies were Janelle Johnson and Joel DeJong. Johnson received the Pride of Extension Award and DeJong was given the R.K. Bliss award.

(LeMars) -- Dry conditions continue to exist through out northwest Iowa, and both subsoil and topsoil conditions are also dry. Iowa State University Crops Specialist, Joel DeJong says this fall, moisture levels are at their lowest point in quite some time.

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DeJong says snowfall doesn't typically contribute much moisture to the subsoils since the ratio of snow to rain is nearly 10 inches of snow to make the equivilant of one inch of rain. He says in order to fully charge the soils with moisture, rains will be needed, either during the fall or next spring.

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Does this dry year remind DeJong of any other similar years?

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The Iowa State University Crops Specialist says this next crop year could be short on moisture, or we could be fine. It all depends upon the weather patterns from now to planting time.

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(Spencer) -- The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation presented its strategic plan for 2013 throuh 2016 to its investors and partners and launched the campaign to fund the plan in its entirety. The Connect Collaborate Compete Campaign - called C-3 - is an aggressive four-year $3.55 million plan that emphasizes the importance of dynamic connections and collaboration for our region to compete in today's changing economy. C-3 has four goals: -to assure employers have access to an adequate, well-trained, workforce. To provide an infrastructure conducive to business development. To create and maintain an environment for business development and job growth. And finally, to enhance entrepreneurial activity and new business starts. The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation consists of Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson and Emmet counties.

(Washington) -- The U-S Department of Agriculture issued its November estimates for crop production on Wednesday and it had a few surprises. Corn production is forecast at 12.3 billion bushels, down 1 percent from the October forecast and down 1 percent from 2010. Based on conditions as of November 1, yields are expected to average 146.7 bushels per acre, down 1.4 bushels from the October forecast and down 6.1 bushels from 2010. If realized, this will be the lowest average yield since 2003. In Iowa, the USDA increased its estimate for corn production. Last year's average yield was 165 bushels per acre. This year, the USDA is expecting Iowa farmers to average 171 bushels per acre, or two bushels per acre better than their October estimate, for a total production of 2.334 billion bushels of corn. That number may be a bit surprising for western Iowa corn farmers as many have stated this year's crop production was down. Iowa State University Extension Grain Marketing Specialist, Chad Hart offers an explaination of the USDA's numbers.

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Hart says when you look at the entire state's average, Iowa is doing better.

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The ISU Grain Marketing Specialist believes the crop will continue to shrink as farmers finish with this year's harvest, and he thinks the USDA will again lower its estimate in January.

POMEROY, Iowa (AP) - The state of Iowa has fined a Pomeroy nursing home where an 8-year-old girl reported seeing an elderly resident being sexually assaulted by a registered sex offender who lives there. The 83-year-old sex offender hasn't been charged but that a Calhoun County prosecutor says charges are expected. State records say an Iowa judge had ordered the man placed in the Pomeroy Care Center. The girl had been visiting a relative on Aug. 21. She told officials she saw the man in the room of a resident in her upper 90s who has dementia. The state fined the center $10,000 last week for failing to protect its residents. The center's administrator declined to comment on the state allegations.